Balletic Swordfights, Flying Heroines and Bamboo Forests: King Hu, Master Of Wuxia

One of East Asia’s most pivotal filmmakers, King Hu (1932–1997) redefined the wuxia genre by combining realistic violence with masterfully choreographed martial arts sequences inspired by Chinese opera. In his youth, Hu was captivated by Beijing Opera and comics adapted from martial arts novels but took little interest in film until he moved to Hong Kong in 1949. It was there that he stumbled upon a job in the film industry, working as an actor and set director on various films until joining the Shaw Brothers studio in 1958.

During his tenure at Shaw Brothers, Hu was able to earn his stripes as a director before making his influential breakout feature, Come Drink With Me (1966). The film was Hu’s first in the wuxia genre and would prove to be a commercial success as well as a pioneering work that would establish the themes and motifs he would become renowned for: the depiction of realistic but stylised violence; strong female leads who were as tough as their male counterparts; and operatic action sequences.

Following the success of Come Drink With Me, Hu left Hong Kong for Taiwan, establishing his own production company in a search for more creative freedom. It was in Taiwan where Hu created his most seminal works in the wuxia genre, Dragon Inn (1967) and A Touch of Zen (1971). These films would go onto significant success at home and abroad and would serve as key inspirations for a generation of filmmakers including John Woo, Tsui Hark, Ang Lee and Tsai Ming-Liang, cementing Hu’s place in the pantheon of great Chinese directors.

The films selected in this season highlight Hu’s mastery of wuxia, including almost all of his major works: Come Drink With Me, Dragon Inn, A Touch of Zen, The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) and Raining in the Mountain (1979).